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Afeef Khan

Works

The Ascendant Qur'an - Volume 14

Muhammad H. al-'Asi

Jumada' al-Akhirah 19, 14402019-02-24

Throughout the noble Qur’an and especially in this surah, we learn about the struggles of Allah’s Prophets (AS). They faced trials and tribulations, even exile and death, but they nonetheless upheld the principle of maintaining justice in society. It was through such sacrifices that Allah’s laws were ultimately implemented. Today in¬justices have been institutionalized at every level in society. The rich and powerful exploit the weak and poor. The wealth gap be¬tween the two has now reached an all-time extreme — yet no one in the public airwaves characterizes this as “extremism.” Far from recognizing that this is the direct result of man-made policies, the oppressors and tyrants blame the victims for their misfortune.

Special Reports

On “idolagy”

Afeef Khan

Rabi' al-Thani 24, 14402019-01-01

It is the illegitimate exercise of power by those intoxicated by technology and have removed the Day of Judgment from their calculations that have caused so much suffering and killings in the world

The Ascendant Qur'an - Volume 13

Muhammad H. al-'Asi

Sha'ban 15, 14392018-05-01

From its contents we can discern that Surah al-A‘raf, like the surah preceding it, was revealed in Makkah. The time period of revelation also appears to be the same: near the end of the Prophet’s mission in Makkah and in preparation for the Hijrah to Madinah. This is apparent from the reference to the Children of Israel and their argumentative behavior vis-à-vis Musa (AS). The Prophet (SAL) and the Muslims with him were about to encounter Banu Isra‘il, for the first time as an organized opposition, upon their arrival in Madinah.

The Ascendant Qur'an - Volume 12

Muhammad H. al-'Asi

Rabi' al-Thani 01, 14392017-12-20

In his monumental tafsir, The Ascendant Qur’an: Realigning Man to the Divine Power Culture, Imam Muhammad al-‘Asi guides us through these intricacies and alerts us to the dangers of human-tampered foods and meats. It is his discussion of such vital issues that makes this tafsir unique. The mufassirs of earlier tafsirs had not confronted the issues of genetically modified foods or hormone- and antibiotic-injected animals, as such practices — and the human “gods” who manage them — were either nonexistent or not  widespread at the time.

The Ascendant Qur'an - Volume 11

Muhammad H. al-'Asi

Rajab 04, 14382017-04-01

In this volume of the tafsir, The Ascendant Qur’an: Realigning Man to the Divine Power Culture, by Imam Muhammad H al-‘Asi, the last portion of Surah al-Ma’idah (ayat 82–120) and the first 32 ayat of Surah al-An‘am are covered. Surah al-Ma’idah was revealed in Madinah. As for Surah al-An‘am, a Makkan surah, there is general consensus among scholars that it was revealed in the last year of the Prophet’s (SAW) mission in Makkah before he was forced to seek sanctuary in Madinah.

The Ascendant Qur'an - Volume 10

Muhammad H. al-'Asi

Shawwal 27, 14372016-08-01

Imam al-‘Asi has rendered and continues to render a great service to the Ummah by explaining the Qur’anic ayat in such a way as to have them explain today’s situation. While the Qur’an provides narratives of earlier people, these are not meant as mere stories from history but as timeless lessons so that we may avoid the fate of our predecessors by ordering our lives in conformity with Allah’s (SWT) commands. The lessons in this sequence of ayat from Surah al- Ma’idah are especially applicable today as they talk about authority and divinity. At a time when man-made laws have run amok causing havoc with the lives of the vast majority of humanity, the Qur’anic guidance comes to the rescue of committed Muslims, and by extension, a wayward humanity. It is for us to internalize these lessons by renewing our covenant with Allah (SWT) and His prophet (SAW).

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Audio

Rights are from Allah not Governments

Afeef Khan

Sha'ban 06, 14372016-05-13

The Ascendant Qur'an - Volume 9

Muhammad H. al-'Asi

Muharram 01, 14372015-10-14

In this ninth volume of the multi-volume tafsir series, Imam Muhammad al-‘Asi has dealt with only the first 40 ayat of Sura al-Mai’dah. These ayat relate to important injunctions requiring detailed treatment, and hence the explanations here enable readers to understand the divine commands with the motivation to go out there and make some changes. Those readers that have followed the tafsir series thus far would appreciate the depth of treatment accorded to the Qur’anic ayat herein. Imam al-‘Asi has taken special care to link the divine commands to today’s reality and identify the present-day covenant violators and oppressors.

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Audio

Sustainable Solutions for being a Muslim

Afeef Khan

Rabi' al-Awwal 18, 14362015-01-09

Opinion

Why Muslim leaders need to be strategic in order to acquire political power

Afeef Khan

Sha'ban 03, 14352014-06-01

The ICIT’s value proposition for the business model is to provide emerging Islamic leaders with resources and tools that enable them to become just leaders by implementing good strategy.

The Ascendant Qur'an - Volume 8

Muhammad H. al-'Asi

Jumada' al-Akhirah 01, 14352014-04-01

The Ascendant Qur'an: Realigning Man to the Divine Power Culture is the first tafsir (exegesis) to be written directly in the English language. It is also the first tafsir to be written specifically to reinterpret the lessons of the noble Qur'an for the needs of Muslims living in the modern world, and particularly for those active in the contemporary Islamic movement. This eight volume concludes the explanation of Surah al-Nisa', going from verse 87 through 176. In particular, it addresses issues related to dual-loyalty (nifaq), including the following topics: Muslim-on-Muslim violence as an indicator of nifaq, how jihad and hijrah are relevant to each other, no favoritism in the adjudication of justice, how shirk gets dressed up to prevent God's justice, how nifaq affects Muslim attitudes to social justice, the recalcitrant Yahudi, and the Holy Trinity.

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Opinion

ICIT’s web library and the emerging Islamic leader

Afeef Khan

Jumada' al-Akhirah 01, 14352014-04-01

The ICIT is about to embark on an ambitious project to make its vast literature available on the web. The aim is to equip emerging Islamic leadership with the tools necessary to set the directional course on a path to Allah.

Opinion

Imam is not a private Saudi business

Afeef Khan

Rabi' al-Awwal 01, 14352014-01-02

How Muslims frame an issue determines whether they will find a solution to the problem. Neither iman nor unity is a private or personal affair. “Individuals have access to taqwa; societies have access to iman.”

Opinion

Foreign policy for principled objectives

Afeef Khan

Muharram 27, 14352013-12-01

For more than 30 years, Islamic Iran has held its ground—on the battlefield, on its right to enrich uranium and to establish a system of government based on Islamic principles. This has demanded sacrifices but ultimately, it was its enemies that blinked and came to the negotiating table.

Opinion

The Ikhwan and the “power of the street”

Afeef Khan

Shawwal 24, 14342013-09-01

The Ikhwan may have been pushed out of power by a brutal military coup and have offered thousands of martyrs, but if they can show their staying power in the streets, they can defeat the military and bring it to its knees.

Opinion

Trayvon: sacrifice to the gods of imperialism

Afeef Khan

Ramadan 23, 14342013-08-01

Racism is so deeply embedded in the American psyche that even with an African-American as president, killing blacks is routine, as Trayvon Martin’s murder verdict showed.

Opinion

The scholarly social contract with oppression

Afeef Khan

Sha'ban 22, 14342013-07-01

We live in strange times. There are Muslim scholars that quote the Qur’an, Hadith and the Sahaba liberally yet in their behaviour they are far removed from justice. On the other hand, we have people who have never read the Qur’an but are willing to sacrifice the comforts of life to uphold truth and justice.

Opinion

Imam Khomeini: the battle for hearts and minds

Afeef Khan

Rajab 22, 14342013-06-01

One of the essential pre-requisites for leadership is to set a directional course and motivate people to follow it. This is what Imam Khomeini (ra) achieved and brought about the Islamic revolution in Iran.

Opinion

“Please, don’t let it be a Muslim”

Afeef Khan

Jumada' al-Akhirah 20, 14342013-05-01

In the wake of the Boston bombing, this tweet from a Libyan blogger captured the overall Muslim sentiment. The so-called leaders of the Muslim community in North America were quick to condemn the bombings. These same leaders, however, have never condemned America’s crimes against innocents in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Yemen…

Opinion

Put-on apologies thrive on political cowardice

Afeef Khan

Jumada' al-Ula' 20, 14342013-04-01

Zionist Israel’s apology to Turkey is not only contrived and hypocritical but flies in the face of countless other crimes perpetrated by the Zionists for which they have offered, and are not likely to offer, any apology.

Opinion

Thirty years of neither fear, nor favor

Afeef Khan

Rajab 12, 14362013-03-01

America not only touts its freedoms, it sends mad bombers around the world to spread them. Yet, right in its capital city, Washington DC, committed Muslims, most born in the US, have been deprived of their religious right to pray inside their masjid at the behest of the Saudis. Whither the freedom of these Muslims?

The Ascendant Qur'an - Volume 7

Muhammad H. al-'Asi

Safar 19, 14342013-01-01

The Ascendant Qur'an: Realigning Man to the Divine Power Culture is the first tafsir (exegesis) to be written directly in the English language. It is also the first tafsir to be written specifically to reinterpret the lessons of the noble Qur'an for the needs of Muslims living in the modern world, and particularly for those active in the contemporary Islamic movement. This seventh volume continues with the explanation of Surah al-Nisa', going from verse 36 through 86. A key topic in this volume concerns how the civic trust should be managed; other related topics include: expanding the family circle to include non-blood relations, why Muslims need to be cognizant of their enemies, why capable executors should be entrusted with decision-making responsibilities, and how military preparedness is an aspect of iman.

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Opinion

Syria: Opening Pandora’s Box is just the beginning of the end of the new world order

Afeef Khan

Safar 19, 14342013-01-01

What happens in Syria is not what the west may have bargained for starting with the end of the Zionist entity and the end of the new world order

What We Should Understand About Taqwa in Ramadan

Muhammad H. al-'Asi

Sha'ban 11, 14332012-07-01

Is it surprising that Muslims are humiliated and despised almost everywhere? Allah (SWT) has made Taqwa the criterion for one human being to excel another (49:13). When family, race, tribe or “nation” becomes the determining feature for establishing class hierarchies and institutionalizing economic disparities between different groups of Muslims, humiliation is sure to follow. Muslims will have power when they respect Allah’s (SWT) power — that is, when they have Taqwa. Muslims will be weak and humiliated when their public persona is socialized into conformity to man-made power centers or laws. fasting in Ramadan offers Muslims the opportunity to break from man-made laws and to conform to the commands of Allah (SWT) to achieve a life of dignity and honor that He, the Almighty, has promised to His faithful servants, by achieving Taqwa. This booklet has been extracted from Volume 2 of Imam Muhammad al-'Asi’s tafsir, The Ascendant Qur’an: Realigning Man to the Divine Power Culture.

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The Ascendant Qur'an - Volume 6

Muhammad H. al-'Asi

Rabi' al-Awwal 09, 14332012-02-01

The Ascendant Qur'an: Realigning Man to the Divine Power Culture is the first tafsir (exegesis) to be written directly in the English language. It is also the first tafsir to be written specifically to reinterpret the lessons of the noble Qur'an for the needs of Muslims living in the modern world, and particularly for those active in the contemporary Islamic movement. This sixth volume begins the explanation of Surah al-Nisa', going from verse 1 through 35. In particular, it addresses issues related to women and family life, including the following topics: safeguarding families to build caring societies, legal protections that frame the Islamic moral fabric, and love and responsibility within the framework of marriage.

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Surah al-Fatihah - Excerpted from: The Ascendant Qur’an: Realigning Man to the Divine Power Culture

Muhammad H. al-'Asi

Ramadan 01, 14322011-08-01

Al-Fatihah is essentially composed in the form of a dua (supplication) made by the conforming subject to his Sustainer, in response to which Allah (SWT) revealed the noble Qur’an to guide humanity in its otherwise wayward and capricious journey through this world. Without such guidance and the loving care of the Creator, man would be completely lost. Indeed today, he is. It is our hope and sincere desire that this booklet will enable the seekers of truth and guidance to find solace in its words. We also hope that this will enable Muslims, indeed all seekers of truth and justice, to engage the noble Book in a more profound way. If this humble effort provides comfort and solace to those reading it, as well as the motivation to go out there and do something, then we feel our efforts have been rewarded.

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Main Stories

Nuclear assassinations belie Zionist desperation

Afeef Khan

Ramadan 01, 14322011-08-01

Imagine a Muslim government popping off American and Israeli scientists because these were perceived to be a threat to the Islamic state and further imagine that this had been going on for the better part of several decades.

The Covenant of Madinah and the Inclusivist Islamic State

Zafar Bangash

Rajab 29, 14322011-07-01

The Covenant of Madinah has been rightly described as the first written constitution in world history. Never before had humankind been given such rights enshrined in written form. Hitherto, every society — big or small — was governed by the whim of the rich and powerful whose interests were considered paramount. Often, the king or tribal leader’s word was the law. The poor naturally suffered in such an environment. Today, this is still the case in many parts of the world. Not so in Madinah at the time of the Prophet (SAW) more than 1,400 years ago. When he migrated from Makkah to Madinah, the noble Messenger (SAW) established a society based on the rule of law in which the rights and obligations of all its inhabitants were fully recognized and respected. Given its importance, both historical and religious, the Covenant of Madinah is being presented here in book form with detailed analysis. It is taken from a chapter in the author’s most recent book, Power Manifestations of the Sirah.

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Power Manifestations of the Sirah

Zafar Bangash

Jumada' al-Akhirah 28, 14322011-06-01

Power Manifestations of the Sirah examines the just exercise of soft and hard power by the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) in the form of letters, treaties, the development of new social conventions, and warfare in order to consolidate the first Islamic State in Madinah. The author, Zafar Bangash, examines the norms of the society, contrasting the historical conditions in Makkah and Madinah, in which the Prophet (pbuh) conducted his numerous correspondences and treaty obligations. In particular the book looks at the Prophet's (pbuh) power prerogatives as they pertain to the Muslim migration to Abyssinia; the significance of the Pacts of Aqabah; the Covenant of Madinah; treaties with Arabian tribes outside of Madinah; the Treaty of Hudaybiyah; letters to rulers, kings, and governors outside of Arabia; and the Farewell Khutbah at Mt. Arafat.

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News & Analysis

Is Pakistan also on the edge?

Afeef Khan

Rabi' al-Awwal 26, 14322011-03-01

The Raymond Davis Affair is just the latest in a series of incidents in the past few months (Salman Taseer assassination is another) that threatens to widen antipathy between Pakistan’s westoxicated neo-liberal ruling and business class on the one hand and the majority of unrepresented Muslim people on the other into a bona fide overthrow of the existing feudal political order.

The Ascendant Qur'an - Volume 5

Muhammad H. al-'Asi

Muharram 26, 14322011-01-01

The Ascendant Qur'an: Realigning Man to the Divine Power Culture is the first tafsir (exegesis) to be written directly in the English language. It is also the first tafsir to be written specifically to reinterpret the lessons of the noble Qur'an for the needs of Muslims living in the modern world, and particularly for those active in the contemporary Islamic movement. This fifth volume concludes the explanation of Surah Al Imran, going from verse 121 through 200. In particular, it addresses the following topics: incognito multiple loyalties and the lessons of Uhud, how usury leads to perpetual war, civlizational longevity and fidelity to social laws, how victory with faulty commitments is not assured, why shura is not "Islamic" democracy, the contrast between God-affirmers and God-deniers, Uhud and the unremitting Israeli opposition to Islam, and the connection between social and physical laws.

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Main Stories

Ahmadinejad comes “home” to a hero’s welcome

Afeef Khan

Shawwal 22, 14312010-10-01

One ordinary spectator said, “I just came today to say welcome to our home… Iran helped to rebuild Lebanon, and most of all, they helped in building a strong resistance, the first to defeat Israel, the strongest army in the region.”

Special Reports

America: no stranger to genocidal war crimes

Afeef Khan

Shawwal 22, 14312010-10-01

“To fight and kill is worth three months without sex. Maybe it sounds idiotic but it is better than sex… When you are on the field it is you or the enemy. And when you see the ‘red mist’ [blood spurt from the sniper victim]… it is indescribable.

The Ascendant Qur'an - Volume 4

Muhammad H. al-'Asi

Ramadan 22, 14312010-09-01

The Ascendant Qur'an: Realigning Man to the Divine Power Culture is the first tafsir to be written directly in the English language. It is also the first tafsir to be written specifically to reinterpret the lessons of the noble Qur'an for the needs of Muslims living in the modern world, and particularly for those active in the contemporary Islamic movement. This fourth volume begins the explanation of Surah Al Imran, going from verse 1 through 120. In particular, it addresses the following topics: the incompatibility of Iman and Kufr, Christianity and the misunderstood nature of Jesus (a), Christian and Jewish antipathy for yielding to God, and the commitment quality of Muslims verses the people of previous scripture.

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Special Reports

“Natural” disasters are sponsored by corrupt power structures

Afeef Khan

Ramadan 22, 14312010-09-01

Blaming God makes it easy to give in to the human demi-gods’ way of running things and to not have to do anything of real value to make the situation better.

Imam Khomeini: A Leader of Principle and Purpose

Afeef Khan, Zafar Bangash

Jumada' al-Akhirah 18, 14312010-06-01

It is a humble attempt by a number of dedicated writers in the global Islamic movement to pay tribute to the late Imam Khomeini who passed away 21 years ago (6-3-1989). This booklet is not a comparative study of the reasons for Iran’s success and others’ failures but we can say with confidence that both the Ikhwan and the Jamaat were endowed with the same quality of charismatic leaders as Iran, although they did not achieve the stature of Imam Khomeini. The Ikhwan and the Jamaat also had well-thought-out programs but because they did not adhere to their stated objectives fully and frequently made erroneous assumptions, success eluded them and continues to do so today. It is not an academic work; rather, it reflects the views of the contributors focusing on certain specific aspects. We hope others will take up the challenge and do much more because a great deal more is needed.

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Special Reports

Yemen: a war front in the global war of ideas

Afeef Khan

Muharram 15, 14312010-01-01

None of this is easy to say. No one can argue that those humans in history who were in possession of the best ideas were Allah’s Prophets (swt)...

The Ascendant Qur'an - Volume 3

Muhammad H. al-'Asi

Jumada' al-Akhirah 09, 14302009-06-02

The Ascendant Qur'an: Realigning Man to the Divine Power Culture is the first tafsir to be written directly in the English language. It is also the first tafsir to be written specifically to reinterpret the lessons of the noble Qur'an for the needs of Muslims living in the modern world, and particularly for those active in the contemporary Islamic movement. This third volume ends the explanation of Surah al-Baqarah, going from verse 215 through 286. In particular, it addresses the following topics: the Muslims' growing maturity in the first Madinan generation, family as the essential unit of social stability, Muslims as the inheritors of the Covenant, key conclusions from the longest Qur'anic surah, reflections on life and death, the spirit of giving and the reorganization of wealth, about usury and its societal consequences, legislation governing loan agreements, and concluding duas about taqwa imperatives.

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The Ascendant Qur'an - Volume 2

Muhammad H. al-'Asi

Jumada' al-Akhirah 08, 14302009-06-01

The Ascendant Qur'an: Realigning Man to the Divine Power Culture is the first tafsir to be written directly in the English language. It is also the first tafsir to be written specifically to reinterpret the lessons of the noble Qur'an for the needs of Muslims living in the modern world, and particularly for those active in the contemporary Islamic movement. This second volume proceeds further into the explanation of Surah al-Baqarah from verse 142 through 214. In particular, it addresses the following topics: the central position of Makkah as a sanctuary from racism and nationalism, the relationship between sabr and salah, fine-tuning the human conception of din, some building blocks of taqwa, maintenance of security and Hajj are tightly connected, and enhancing man's understanding of human nature.

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